Control apparatus for hydraulic machines

ABSTRACT

Control apparatus, for hydraulic pumps and reversible turbines, comprising adjustable vanes or blades and servomotors therefor, each blade being pivoted to a piston rod of a servomotor through the intermediary of a lever. The casings of the servomotor are kinematically connected with respective adjacent blades. This connection is effected through the intermediary of double-armed levers, one arm thereof being connected to the piston rods of the associated servomotors, and the other arms to the casings of the servomotors of the respective adjacent blades.

United States Patent [191 Schegolev et al.

[ 1 July 16, 1974 CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HYDRAULIC MACHINES [76] Inventors: Gleb Stepanovich Schegolev,

Sinyavinskaya ulitsa, 12/49, kv. 49; Mikhail Alexeevich Tsvetkov, Sinyavinskaya ulitsa, 26, kv. 64; Rady Kiriliovich Fasulati, ulitsa Tukhachevskogo, 55, kv. 23; Sergei Fomich Budnikov, Gerasimovskaya ulitsa, l2, kv. 91; Grigory Abramovich Bronovsky, 7 Sovetskaya ulitsa, 7, kv. 6; Semen Abramovich Granovsky, Bolshoi prospekt, 77, kv. 3, all of Leningrad, U.S.S.R.

22 Filed: Mar. 13,1972

211 Appl. No.: 234,231

[52] US. Cl. 415/150, 415/163 [51] Int. Cl. F0ld 17/00 [58] Field of Search ..415/163,161,160, 148,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,746,713 5/1956 Peyrin et al 415/150 3,007,628 11/1961 Nichols ..415/150 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,337,456 10/1963 France ..4l5/l63 848,329 9/1952 Germany v.415/150 Primary Examiner-Henry F. Raduazo Attorney, Agent, or FirmWaters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [5 7] ABSTRACT Control apparatus, for hydraulic pumps and reversible turbines, comprising adjustable vanes or blades and servomotors therefor, each blade being pivoted to a piston rod of a servomotor through the intermediary of a lever. The casings of the servomotor are kinematically connected with respective adjacent blades. This connection is effected through the intermediary of double-armed levers, one arm thereof being connected to the piston rods of the associated servomotors, and the other arms to the casings of the servomotors of the respective adjacent blades.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HYDRAULIC MACHINES The present invention relates to hydraulic machine building and more particularly to control apparatus for hydraulic machines.

Guide or control apparatus of hydraulic machines, such as turbines, are already known. A conventional guide apparatus comprises moving vanes or blades, the journal of each blade being rigidly connected to a lever. With the aid of a kinematic connecting means an arm of the lever is pivoted to an adjusting ring. With the ring turning, all the blades turn too. In order to turn the adjusting ring, use is made of one, two or more straightaxial servomotors whose casings are rigidly secured to stationary parts of the turbine, such as the cover, stator, shaft, etc.

However, in such guide apparatus, during the servomotor operation, half of the force is transmitted in the form of reaction to the parts to which the servomotors are rigidly connected, thereby causing a stress in the former. This necessitates the provision of more rigid connecting means, which complicates the design of the turbine and technology of its manufacture.

Besides, also known in the art is a guide apparatus of a hydraulic turbine in which each moving blade is kinematically pivoted to the rod of its servomotor, namely through the intermediary of a lever. The casing of the servomotor is hinged to stationary parts of the turbine, such as the cover, stator, shaft, etc.

In the case of this quick-apparatus embodiment similarly half of the force of the servomotor is wasted by being transmitted to the stationary parts of the turbine, it additionally loads them. Hence, no use is made of the reaction force of the servomotors.

Besides, to resist the reaction force transmitted from the servomotors, use is made of special supports, strengthening and other means, which results in an additional consumption of metal and labour.

An object of the present invention is to simplify the design of such a guide or control apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the forces acting upon the stationary parts of the hydraulic machine.

To accomplish these and other objects of the present invention, a task has been set to provide a central apparatus for hydraulic machines, in which the stationary parts are not subjected to reaction forces during the operation of the servomotors.

The afore-said and other objects are accomplished in that in the inventive control apparatus for hydraulic machines, which comprise moving vanes or blades pivoted through the intermediary of respective levers to the piston rods of servomotors, the casings of the servomotors are kinematically connected to respective adjacent blades.

It is expedient to effect the kinematic connection of the servomotor casings with the adjacent blades through the intermediary of said levers which hinge each blade to the piston rod of its associated servomotor.

It is advisable to make said levers as double-arm levers, whose one arm is connected to the piston rod of the own servomotor and the other is connected to the casing of the servomotor of the adjacent blade.

This embodiment of a control or guide apparatus for hydraulic machines provides any absence of any power connection between the casings of the servomotors and the stationary parts, i.e. the servomotors become floating. All this results in a lower consumption of metal and labour. With the blade levers made as double-arm levers it is possible to obtain a pure torque which turns the blades without their journals being turned by the force of the levers.

The use of such an improved control apparatus improves the conditions of servicing the bearings and other parts of the hydraulic machine in the course of its use.

The control apparatus built in accordance with the present invention is provided with servomotors which have no power connection with the stationary parts and in which the piston ares can be reduced to a half. This makes it possible to use only one servomotor for turning two adjacent vanes or blades, i.e. to reduce the number of the servomotors employed to half the number of the blades.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment, given with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows schematically a top view of the inventive control apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along arrow A of a double-arm lever shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial section taken along line IIIIII of FIG. 1.

The guide apparatus according to the invention, for example of a hydraulic turbine, (FIGS. 1, 2) comprises vanes or blades 1 pivotable about shafts l2. Rigidly mounted on journals 2 of the blades are double-arm levers 3 (see FIG. 3). One arm of each lever 3 is pivoted at 3a to the casing of a servomotor 4, 4a. For better stabilization, preferably two levers 3 flank each servomotor, as shown in FIG. 2. The other arm of each lever 3 is pivoted through an axle 5 (FIG. 2) to a piston rod 6 of a servomotor of the adjacent blade 1. In FIG. 1 this is shown for example for the intermediate one of the three illustrated levers 3, which is pivoted at 3a to the upper one of the two illustrated servomotors, namely 4, while the same lever is pivoted at 5, through piston rod 6, to the lower servomotor 4a. Oil supplied into the spaces of servomotors 4, 4a along flexible hoses 8 communicating with an oil supply pipe line 9.

The end portions of the piston rod 6 of the servomotors 4, 4a are provided with threads and with nuts 10, which makes it possible to adjust the position of the point of connection of the rods 6 with the levers 3 of the respective adjacent blades 1 in the course of assembly. 7

Provision is made for a mechanical synchronizing system to ensure synchronous pivotal movement of the blades 1. This system comprises levers 11, mounted on the shafts 12 of blades 1 and connected with the double-arm levers 3 through shear pins 13. It should be noted that levers 3 are immovable with respect to the levers 11 on account of both shafts 12 and pins 13 passing through both levers.

During the operation of the guide apparatus pressurized oil is delivered into one of the spaces of the servomotors 4, 40 along the flexible hoses 8. The forces that arises is transmitted via the rod 6 to one arm of the associated lever 3, whereas an equal, oppositely directed reaction force is transmitted through the casing of the servomotor at pivot 3a to the other arm of the lever 3 of the adjacent blade.

In the present example of the embodiment of the control apparatus the number of servomotors equals that of the blades. Therefore, both arms of each lever 3 undergo simultaneously the forces of the two servomotors 4, 4a which provide on the journals 2 of the blades 1 a torque turning the latter, the machanical 6 (which of course perform a double movement: reciprocation and pivoting).

Blade turning is timed by levers 11 and adjustable strainers 14, 14a. Levers ll are-connected with levers 3 by means of axles l2 and shear pins 13 which latter are the safety devices of the timing system. In normal operation, the system takes up different forces of the individual servomotors. The differences are due to the differences in the hydraulic moments and the friction between individual blades 1. From blade to blade, this difference in moments may be equal to nearly percent. If a foreign body gets between the blades, a respective pin 13 is cut or broken by a shearing action, releasing the blade from the timing system, without affecting the synchronous operation of the other blades. The levers, pins and strainers have adequate strengths. There is no inner wall to the right-hand side of the blades 1, as visible in the drawing.

This makes it possible to dispense with special units securing the servomotors to the stationary parts of the machine, which simplifies their design, decreases their weight and reduces the amount of labour in manufacture. In the guide apparatus of the present invention the servomotors are extremely compact and can be easily manufactured.

We claim:

l. A control apparatus for hydraulic machines, comprising pivotable adjustable blades; servomotors for actuating said blades, provided with piston rods; controlled and synchronized link means connecting said blades to respective ones of said piston rods; housings for said servomotors, connected to adjacent ones of said biades by means of double-arm levers, wherein one arm in each double-arm lever is connected to respective ones of said piston rods while the other arm is connected to said housings of the adjacent blades. 

1. A control apparatus for hydraulic machines, comprising pivotable adjustable blades; servomotors for actuating said blades, provided with piston rods; controlled and synchronized link means connecting said blades to respective ones of said piston rods; housings for said servomotors, connected to adjacent ones of said blades by means of double-arm levers, wherein one arm in each double-arm lever is connected to respective ones of said piston rods while the other arm is connected to said housings of the adjacent blades. 